“No need to be so harsh, Sheriff. I figure as a younger guy who is more often around the ladies, I can help out a gruff old-timer like you.” Chris grinned, scurrying off when Peter glared at him. When he was left alone, he took a deep breath. Chris’ idea hadn’t been terrible, and as much as Peter hated to admit it, the younger man wasn’t wrong.
He called Chris back out, and they made their way out to the school, commenting on a bit of poetry that had been painted on the back of the school sign. On the one hand, he should have been angry with the local youths for having defaced it. On the other hand, they could have done far worse things.
Peter had to work hard to hide his pleasure at the sound of Melanie’s voice calling out to him. She ran up to him and handed a sheet of paper to him that was covered in scrawled writing.
As Peter’s eyes scanned over the paper, his smile immediately began to fade. Another robbery plan? Has it started to rub off on the younger children as well?
He was going to have to work even harder to try to uncover the truth of what was going on. Glancing up in time to see Chris giving him a funny look, the young cop’s eyes darting back and forth toward Melanie, he realized he hadn’t been paying attention to what Melanie had been saying. Irritation flashed across her face again. “I’m sorry, Miss Thompson. Can you repeat that last part?”
Melanie’s hands rose and fell in agitation. “Can I just do your job for you, since you seem to be incapable of keeping these kinds of things under wraps on your own?”
“I am not going to listen to you continue to harp on me about how to do my job. I have been the sheriff in this town for two years now, and I trained under one of the best damn lawmen that the United States has ever seen. You aren’t going to come to my town and second-guess me, Miss Thompson. You are here to be a teacher. Let me take care of being the law,” he said, rolling the piece of paper up and pointing toward the school. “Now, what desk was the boy sitting at?”
“Front row, third seat from the door,” Melanie replied flatly, walking away with Iris trailing not far behind.
Chapter 7
It had been an entire week since she had last seen the sheriff, and for that, she was grateful. Their previous encounters hadn’t been the greatest, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t hesitant about running into him again.
On day eight, Melanie was sitting with Iris in the garden area of the school, enjoying the lunch they had packed for themselves earlier that morning. It was a simple meal of small pastries filled with slices of beef and various root vegetables. They had just baked them a couple hours prior, and even though they weren’t piping hot, they still tasted wonderful.
“I’ll have to remember to have you share the recipe for these with me,” Melanie said pleasantly, wiping her slightly greasy fingers clean on a spare handkerchief she’d brought. “These are beyond incredible. I feel like I could sit here and eat them all day, despite how full I feel.”
“It is an old recipe that my grandmother used to make until she passed away when I was sixteen. She died in her sleep, so I am assuming she didn’t feel too much pain, and I will always be thankful for that. A sweet woman like Grandma deserved to be able to go in peace,” Iris said softly, smiling at the memories. “She would be delighted to know there was another person who loves her meat pies.”
“Miss Thompson, I was hoping I could bother you for another moment of your time,” came the gruff voice that Melanie had been hoping to avoid a little longer. She turned around to find Peter standing nearby, a sheepish smile on his face. “I know that you probably don’t want to see me, but as the new schoolteacher, you are going to be the best person for me to cooperate with,” he added, sounding slightly embarrassed.
“Come on, Sheriff, let me go. You're wrinkling my nice shirt,” complained a young man that Melanie only just now noticed was being dragged by the sheriff. Peter seemed to have a firm grip on the youth thanks to the scruff of his shirt, the young man stumbling and hopping awkwardly to try to keep his balance. “I already told you everything I know!”
“I wish I could believe that, Mr. Gregorson, but your new teacher here already told me that you were the boy who dropped that drawing of the stagecoach robbery plans. I intend for you to tell me where you got those plans. And don’t think that I can’t make things quite unpleasant for you if you don’t cooperate,” Peter added, his eyes glittering with annoyance as he looked down at the youth.
The boy shot Melanie a mean look but was immediately cuffed on the back of the head by Peter for it. “Don’t go making ugly faces just because you were foolish enough to let yourself get caught. If anything, you should be mad at yourself for getting embroiled in such tomfoolery to begin with,” Peter rebuked him, pulling his hat off his head and looking Melanie fully in the eyes. “Have you had the honor of meeting our good friend Darwin Gregorson? I’m sure that you’ve heard some of the rumors floating around about him by now.”
“I’ve heard his name, but I haven’t heard of anything overly harmful that he’s done. It all sounds like the typical kind of mischief that a young boy his age would normally get into,” Melanie replied simply.
“Oh, is that Darwin? Now, Peter, there is no need to go manhandling the students just because you need to have a chat with them.” Iris clicked her tongue, moving over to Peter and gently disentangling the haggard-looking youth from the lawman’s grip.
“I wouldn’t have had to get rough with him if the boy had agreed to just come with me to begin with,” Peter said indignantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I’ve told him time and time again that I don’t bend the rules for anyone. That includes him too, no exceptions.”
“You come off as too harsh to the students at times. They’ve come to fear you, Peter, and I don’t think that is a good way to keep authority in a town. That’s just my two cents, though, and with your proven track record, I can’t complain about how you’ve gone about your duties up until now,” Iris said evenly. “Now, Darwin, honey, we’ll go talk privately over here,” she said, herding the youth away from Peter and Melanie before either of them had a chance to respond.
Melanie swallowed nervously, her attention now forced back onto Peter. The sheriff was looking slightly better dressed than the last time she’d seen him, his cotton shirt clinging to his skin from a faint sheen of sweat. He looked like he was a bit winded, the effort of escorting Darwin from wherever he had been obviously taking quite a bit out of him.
“He’s not a bad kid; he just tends to act out to get attention,” Peter eventually said, placing his hat back on his head. “It makes me want to be harder on him, but I see so much of myself in him that it makes it difficult. Plus, after what happened to his parents, I can’t really blame him for being the way he is.”
“What do you mean?” Melanie asked, chancing a glance over in the direction where Iris and young Darwin had disappeared. She couldn’t see either of them, and the rest of the students were slowly starting to trickle back into the school building as well. “What happened to his parents?”
“His mother died of consumption, and his father was a coal miner who got caught in a mine collapse. The deaths both happened within only a few months of one another, so that must have made the blow even worse,” Peter said, grimacing despite himself. Melanie kept herself mostly quiet as she spoke, growing more confused.
“I can empathize, but how does that involve you? Can’t the orphanage caretakers keep him disciplined on their own?” Melanie asked, keeping her guard up around him the whole time. Who cared if he could be a nice guy sometimes; that didn’t erase everything he’d done so far.
What has he done so far that deserves my anger, though?
“He tends to act out,” Peter replied in exasperation. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to come to the school to talk to him because he’s gotten out of line in class. I won’t even mention the amount of mischief he gets up to around town, but it had all been relatively minor up until a few months ago. Now, it seems like
things are escalating, and I can’t tell if it's just the kids behind it or if it's something bigger I need to look into.”
“What does this all have to do with me, Sheriff?” Melanie replied carefully, the gnawing suspicion that she was about to get roped into something tingling on the back of her neck. “I don’t see what a young woman such as myself could possibly offer. I am not the best when it comes to discipline, and I’m certainly not at the level that you seem to be.”
He closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a deep breath. “I want to help this kid get himself on the straight and narrow before he finds himself in a bad situation he can’t get out of.”
“What assistance do you need from me? You are a strong, capable man. Surely you can handle whatever demands the boy might have yourself,” Melanie retorted.
“I can’t do much once he is inside the school; that is your domain,” Peter replied amicably, his boot tapping impatiently in the dirt. “I can make sure that the boy comes to school each day, even if I have to drag him here by the scruff of his neck. Once I bring him, I need your word that you will do everything in your power to keep him here until school lets out each afternoon. I am sure he won’t make it easy for you, but it is in both of our best interests if we keep a tight leash on him.”
“How do you expect me to do that? Do you really think that he is going to listen to a woman like me?” Melanie protested, already shaking her head to decline his offer. She felt bad for Darwin, but that didn’t mean she wanted to act like she pitied him either. For all she knew, this was just an elaborate ruse on the sheriff’s part to have an excuse to come see her.
“I reckon that a pretty young woman like you might offer enough of an incentive to an eight-year-old,” Peter replied gently. “The young ones are always attracted to pretty people, and I can already tell that he is going to take a shine to you…”
“I can’t make any promises that it will help, but I guess I can do what you’ve asked of me for now,” Melanie agreed reluctantly. “I need to get back to work, if that’s alright.”
“Yes, sorry to keep you for so long,” Peter replied evenly, offering Melanie a warm smile. She cleared her throat and took a few steps back from him, realizing just how close to him she had ended up standing. She noticed that his chin was a lot more defined now that she took a minute to look at him up close, those gray eyes of his were slightly hypnotic to her.
“Is there something on my face, Miss Thompson?” Peter asked suddenly, causing Melanie to jump slightly. She hadn’t realized that she had been staring at him so openly.
“No, it is nothing, Sheriff. I thought there was something I needed to tell you, but I can’t think of what it might have been,” she said, giving him a small nod before heading toward the front of the school building. “Good day.”
Chapter 8
That could have gone better. Peter had hesitated only long enough to watch Melanie retreat into the school building before he continued on his way. Questions were buzzing around in his mind like a swarm of angry bees. The sense of unease that he had been feeling for the past couple of days hadn’t managed to dissipate, something that he found especially troubling.
As he watched Melanie leave, he had been unable to look away from her. He didn’t know how she managed to do it, but she looked even more radiantly beautiful each time that he saw her. She wore an emerald green dress that matched her eyes perfectly, the lower half of the garment crisscrossed with white lace. He’d heard some whispers about the young teacher around town now, and that meant that other men were starting to take notice.
How could he tell her that his thoughts had been filled with nothing but her for the last week? How could he admit to her that his interest in solving these crimes was driven partly by the motivation of proving to her that he was a dependable man who could take care of her? Deep down in his heart, Peter Matherson desired that woman more than he’d ever wanted anything else in the whole wide world.
Finally tearing his gaze away from the school, Peter began the solitary walk back toward the sheriff’s office. A cool breeze had managed to stir up in the time he’d been talking to Melanie, forcing him to pull his thin leather jacket tightly around himself. He hoped that Chris had the common sense to get some coffee started for him. From what he’d managed to get out of Darwin, the flyers about the robbery had started to spread around school almost two weeks ago.
Pulling one of the crumpled flyers from his pocket, Peter took another moment to read over its contents. Each person who agreed to assist in the robbery was being promised a small percentage of the spoils. Violence was discouraged but bringing weapons for intimidation purposes was both encouraged and recommended. He’d need to ask the other students who had or hadn’t gotten one of these flyers and make lists appropriately. Perhaps he would have to ask Melanie for a copy of her class lists. Maybe I’ll send Chris to do it instead.
“Chris, what did you manage to find out?” Peter asked when he finally got back to the station. Chris had dragged a nearby log over and had sat it upright to use as a makeshift seat by the fire, traces of ash clinging to his hair.
“Ah! There you are, Peter. I was wondering how much longer you were going to spend flirting with the new schoolmarm before you made your way over. I was certain that you would take at least a good hour or so,” Chris said cheekily, handing Peter a cup of dark brown liquid.
“Coffee, huh? You must have known I was going to beat you today if you didn’t have the coffee out for me when I got back,” Peter joked, sipping gratefully as he took a seat on another nearby log.
“I definitely didn’t want to risk your wrath,” Chris joked. “You might send me home without pay again.”
“I guess that means that particular lesson stuck.” Peter laughed, giving his knee a playful smack. “I told you time and time again that if you kept testing me, you were going to see a side of me you wouldn’t like.”
“I don’t know, Peter. I thought that was just a little harsher than necessary,” Chris countered, sipping from his cup. “You don’t know how much it hurts to lose a day’s pay when you are in my situation.”
“What sort of situation is that? Last I checked, you live with very few worries in a shack you made on the outskirts of town. The stipend you are paid by the state is more than enough to keep you going. I know this because you only make slightly less than what I make, and I’m not hurting for anything,” Peter shot back.
Chris’ face turned beet red then, the deputy sputtering and hastily trying to change the subject. “Didn’t you ask me something when you first walked up?”
“Yes, I did.” Peter set his empty glass down on the ground next to him. “I asked you if you found out anything more about all of these robberies. You know, one of the only tasks I’ve actually burdened you with.”
“As a matter of fact, I did manage to find out a couple of things. I talked to Kimmy Hansen, the wife of the town butcher. She said that she noticed some boys have started gathering on the roads down the way from her house. They never come unless they have a wagon, and they each have their own horse.” Chris had a smug smile on his face, barely concealed while he took his drink.
“It sounds like we know where they go to either meet up or split up the goods. Either way, we are going to need to follow up on that,” Peter said, pacing slowly in thought. “The problem is, if an adult is behind all of this, then they aren’t going to be as hesitant about crossing the line like young boys would be.”
“They haven’t killed anyone up until now, Peter. It has purely been monetary gain that these thieves have been after, and they chose teenagers to help because they are around and always willing to make a little extra coin on the side for themselves. You might just be chasing shadows,” Chris dismissively replied, gesturing in the older lawman’s direction. “I think that you are so caught up in trying to follow Sheriff Norton’s example that you are making mountains out of molehills.”
“You can’t tell me that it isn’t a strange coincidence that these
stagecoach robberies started just a few weeks before our new schoolteacher arrived. We never seem to be able to have the crimes reported until well after, because our deputies never seem to be around in the places they happen,” Peter lamented.
“We could increase the range of our patrols after nightfall,” Chris offered.
“What we need is to set up a trap of our own. I just don’t know what we could do. If only something would happen that could give me a clue as to who might be behind it,” Peter said, slamming his fist on his desk.
“You don’t think that that it could be someone working here in the station, do you?” Chris asked softly, the two men watching various other officers mill around inside the jailhouse.
“I can only hope that isn’t the case, Chris. We might have much bigger problems if that turns out to be the case,” Peter said, stepping out of the jailhouse with Chris following after him.
The sight of a carriage hurtling suddenly down the road past them caught Peter and Chris off guard, the two lawmen throwing their hands in front of their faces to shield their eyes from the spray of dirt and sand that the carriage left in its wake. When it came to a halt in front of the school and the occupant stepped out, Peter knew exactly who it was. The distinct features and pompous smile on the man’s face would have given him away even before he stepped out of the carriage.
A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart Page 4